Targets, progress and status
Linear gauge
Places a value on a linear scale with optional target and performance bands.
- Indicator
- Performance against target
- Progress
What it answers
How does a metric sit within a straight performance scale?
- Shape
- Straight scale and value marker
- What it shows
- Target gap and performance band.
Example
The question
Is stock cover inside the safe range?
Days of stock cover, main warehouse
Illustrative data. It belongs to no company.
When to use it
Use it when
Compact bounded performance reporting.
Avoid it when
When range bounds are arbitrary or a trend is the real question.
How to read it
Read position on the linear scale and compare with target/ranges.
The data you need
- Layout
- Single-record summary
- Fields
- Metric: text; Value,Minimum,Maximum: numbers
- One row is
- One metric and its scale limits. What is the grain?
- Rules
- Require Maximum > Minimum and define out-of-range handling.
- Optional
- Target and ordered performance-band boundaries.
- Preparation
- Confirm the metric definition, reporting period, target and favourable direction. Calculate rates or progress before applying transparent status rules.
- Units
- State each metric's unit. Achievement or completion needs its goal/baseline denominator; status colours and ordinal ratings are not numeric units.
Worked example
Value 72, min 0, max 100, target 80. Mark 72 and 80 on the same track; the value is 8 below target.
| Metric | Value | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 72 | 0 | 100 |